This article is co-written by Amy Shumaker and Jordan Burch.
With the current status of our country, many states and counties have established “shelter at home” orders. Schools and businesses have been moved online, but many careers do not have this option. With such sudden uncertainty in the economy and public safety, it has many seniors around the country wondering what their next step will be, Milligan College seniors included.
With Milligan’s cancellation of commencement, many seniors are left upset but not surprised. “Commencement has been my goal for at least the past four years,” said nursing major Grace Smith. “It meant that my hard work had finally paid off and a new chapter of my life was about to begin.”
The biggest question for many of these students is how to move forward. Bible major Caleb Pennington shares his disappointment at having his overseas internship canceled due to travel bans. “I had an internship doing campus ministry in Thailand. I was going to start with that and see if it sparked a fire for missions.”
Smith has also found difficulties with employment after applying to several nursing jobs out of state. With states closing their borders, in-person interviews have become impossible. In a report from Business Insider, the number of unemployment insurance claims has jumped from 3.3 million on March 21st to 6.6 million on April 2nd. The original projection was no higher than 1.5 million before the coronavirus pandemic, but the United States has now broken previous records for unemployment insurance claims.
With the Coronavirus affecting everything, Smith is concerned with how the nursing career field will be impacted by the pandemic. “As soon-to-be nurses, we are on the front lines. We see what COVID-19 looks like every single day… We have to learn the ropes and become familiar with our environment to reach our optimal [performance].”
Seniors are also attempting to deal with the hardship of senioritis. This is a trend that plagues seniors yearly on the verge of graduation. These circumstances only help to exaggerate the effects of senioritis.
“I would say that my case of senioritis has become terminal since the move to online classes,” said Gibson Mills, senior. “I’ve dropped 3 classes that I didn’t need to graduate because I don’t want to do any more work than I absolutely have to.” This is a trend that is being experienced by seniors nationwide.
The problem of senioritis is not the only issue plaguing the seniors at Milligan. Capstone level courses or projects are required during a student’s last semester, and now, they are required to do them at home.
“It’s way harder to stay focused on class when you aren’t in a classroom setting because all of the distractions from home are so present and close by,” said Seth Nicol, business major.
Mills, whose long term plans are to teach overseas, is currently struggling with the immediate impact of the pandemic.
“I’m applying to grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses that will stay open and continue to hire during this pandemic,” said Mills. Until the economy can begin to recover, the job listings will likely remain limited.
The final issue for seniors is the decision to postpone commencement without a date set for a make-up ceremony. Some seniors, like Nicol, see it as the right thing for the college to do.
“I understand both sides, and I respect the decision Milligan made. It’s a bit disappointing, but I think it was the right decision,” he said.
On the flip side, there are students who are upset with the decision. Many are hoping that the ceremony might be rescheduled to a later, safer date. It seems likely that the school will attempt to satisfy these requests, but no information is available at the moment.
For more information regarding the impacts of the coronavirus check for daily updates from President Greer online or head to milliganstampede.com.
Headline photo by Cindy Parks via Pixabay.